Lemuel p



(No Model.) 2 Sheet s-Sheet 1.

L. I. DIGK'ERSON & H. TINDELL.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PIGKING AND GARDING MACHINES.

No. 392,722. Patented Nov. 13, 1888 a (f r W \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\3.\:'

Q" '1 y/ ////m. I 1 Why/'51 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. P. DIOKBRSON & H. TINDELL. Y FEEDING MECHANISM FOR 'PIGKING AND HARDING MACHINES,-

No. 392,722. Patented Nov. 13, 1888.

N4 PETERS, Plvvlo-Lnlhographer. Waflungion. c. c.

, llnirnn LEMUEL F. DICKERSON, OF NEXVARK, AND HENRY TIl\ DELL, OF HARRISON, ASSIGNORS TO EMILY R. PARKHURST, OF MONTCLAIR, NEWV JERSEY.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PICKING AND CARDlNG MACHINES.

$PEC'IPIC'ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,722, dated November 13, 1888.

Application filed October 14, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEM UEL F. DICKERSON, of Newark, in the county of Essex, and HENRY TINDELL, of Harrison, in the county of Hudson, both in the State of New Jersey, haveinvented an Improvement in Feeding Mechanism for Picking and Oarding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Devices for feeding, picking, and carding to machines or engines have heretofore been made in which the wool has been placed in a hopper and carried up by a belt and the surplus wool has been wiped off the teeth upon the belt by a revolving stripper that tended to throw r 5 the surplus wool back into the hopper, and in some cases the teeth have been drawn into the cylinder; but the wool was liable to become wedged between the cylinder and belt. In other instances a reciprocating comb or (loffer has been employed; but the mechanism necessary to operate the same is complicated, and there is considerable loss of time and power upon the backward and upward movement of the comb or doffer, and long-stock fiber is liable to be moved up and down by the comb and not to be carried uniformly along through the machine by the lifting-belt. I

Our present improvements are mainly designed to provide means for forcibly knocking the wool downwardly into the hopper and for preventing the wool from adhering to the teeth of the comb upon the revolving beater, so that the necessary rotary movement can be communicated to the beater and comb, and the wool will be combed and the surplus will be beat off the teeth of the belt back within the hopper, and the wool cannot become wound around the heater and comb, because the teeth are drawn out of the wool. lVe also employ a toothed holdback or opening roller to spread the wool upon the feeding-belt.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the mechanism made use of by us. Fig. 2 is a section, in larger size, of the beater and 5 comb. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same at one end andasection of part of the machine. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrative of the gearing that may be employed to drive the parts, and Fig. 5 is a section, in larger size, of a portion of c the lifting-apron and its upper guide-roller.

Serial No. 252,343. (No model.)

The hopper A is of any desired size orshape, and at the bottom of the same is a supplyapron, B, to carry the wool along toward the liftingapron 0. The supply-apron Bis preferably formed of slats connected by endless 5 5 belts passing around the rollers 2 and 3, and the lifting-apron G is also formed of slats 4, having inclined projecting teeth 5, and these slats are connected by the endless belts 6, that pass around the top and bottom rollers or cyl- 6o inders, 7 and 8.

The slats 4 are preferably of hard wood of the sectional form represented in Figs. 1 and 5. The teeth 5 are pointed steel wires driven into the thickest part of each slat, and the slats are each made with a beaded or rounded edge, 9, passing into a corresponding concave,

9*, in the next slat, the object of this construction being to make a tight joint between one slat and the next, and at the same time to allow the edges of the slats to roll against each other as the slats pass freely around the cylinders or rollers 7 and 8, and as the base of one slat comes into a different angular position to the base of the next slat in passing around such rollers or cylinders the ribbed edge 9 turns in the recessed core 9* of the next slat, thus preventing any opening occurring between one slat and the next; hence the wool cannot get in between the slats.

The journals of the upper roller, 7, are preferably in adjustable bearings, so that the proper tension can be maintained upon the belt. The screws 10, to act upon the journalboxes 11, are convenient for this adjustment. Above the top roller or cylinder, 7, and over the endless belt 0, is a toothed opening-ro1ler D, the proximity of which to the teeth 5 may be varied by adj usting-screws 12, and this opening toothed roller will be revolved by a gear, 0 44, upon its shaft meshing with a gear, 45, of slightly smaller size upon the shaft of the roller 7, the adjacent surface being caused to move in the same direction as the movement of the belt, but at a slower speed than the sur- 5 face movement of such belt 0, the consequence of which is that the looks or hanks of wool drawn in upon the teeth of the lifting-apron are spread out and rendered even by the ac tion of this toothed opening-roller D; but the mo teeth of the belt or lifting-apron keep the toothed opening-roller D clean, because the teeth of such roller draw back away from the fibers on the belt, and there is no cutting or injurious action upon the wool.

At the ascending side of the lifting-apron and near the top thereof is the beater or comb stock L, which is formed, preferably, of a slat of hard wood, through which passes the shaft M, that is supported in suitable bearings and revolved by competent power. The journal boxes or bearings for this shaft lll are preferably slide-bars L, supported by the framework of the machine and within the hopper, and there are clamping-screws 141-, by which the j ournal-boxes are held in position after being adjusted, so that the edge of the revolving beater and comb may be brought nearer to the teeth of the lifting-apron for taking off all surplus wool, or the comb can be brought farther back to allow the teeth of the liftingapron to carry up a larger quantity of wool. The teeth 1? of the comb are preferably round and pointed, and they are made with or at tached to a longitudinal bar, 1?, within the slotted edge of the beater or comb stock L, and this bar has transverse slots for the passage of the bolts 20, that limit the outward and inward movement of the-teeth. The bar and teeth are projected by springs 21, and they are retracted at the proper poi nt by meehanismmext described.

At each end of the comb bar there is a projection, 22, and upon the frame and within the hopper are the withdrawing cam-segments Q, against which the ends 22 of the toothed bar I? come into contact, and the shape of the parts is such that the canrsegmcnts will force the teeth P entirely within the slot of the re volving beater or comb stock, while the comb and stock are making about a quarter of a 1'0- tation from the point of contact of the teeth with the locks of wool upon the lifting-apron, thus preventing the teeth of the comb holding the wool any longer and allowing such wool immediately to fall back again into the hopper.

The beater or comb stock and comb can be revolved with but little power, because the movement is continuous and the inertia aids the comb in removing the surplus wool, and the surplus wool is discharged from the comb by the inertia thereof as soon as the teeth are withdrawn into the comb-stock and the stock becomes a beater to knock back into the hopper large lumps of wool, and this does not interfere with the action of the comb in spread wardly, and the wool is thrown upon an ap-- ing, opening, and rendering uniform the layer of wool on the lifting-apron.

I make use of a revolving doffer, It, having a flexible edge, 1', of leather, rubber, or similar material, that acts to draw off the wool at the descending side of the lifting-apron. This is easily accomplished because the teeth of the lifting-apron at this place are inclined downron, S, that conveys it to the picking or carding machine, of any desired character.

The power to revolve the parts is preferably applied to the counter-shaft 30, and from there transmitted, by the gear-wheel 31 and pinions 32 33, to the wheel 34 on the shaft M, and by the pinion 35 to the wheel 36 on the shaft of the roller 7, and the pinions 32 33 are upon studs fixed in the lever 37, so that the pinion 33 can be disconnected from the wheel 34 when the revolving comb is to be stopped.

The roller 3 of the supply-apron and the roller 8 of the lifting-apron can be geared together by the wheels 41, 42, and 43, so as to move in unison.

It is not necessary to revolve the roller D by gearing, as'the wool coming into contact with the teeth thereof will turn the same, the friction on the journals of said roller D preventing its turning too rapidly, and the teeth of this roller D act to comb and even the wool on the lifting-belt.

I am aware that a lifting-apron has been made use of for raising wool or cotton out of a hopper, and that a revolving cylinder with movable teeth has been used, the teeth serving to keep back superfluous cotton; but in this instance the strain comes entirely upon the teeth and the roller does not perform the duty of keeping back the cotton. By my improvement the revolving beater,being in the form of a slat or nearly fiat plate, acts to knock away the surplus cotton or wool, and the comb at the edge thereof spreads the cotton or wool upon the toothed surface of the lifting-apron, and the teeth of the comb are kept clean by being withdrawn into the slat-shaped revolving beater.

WVe claim as our-invention 1; The combination, with the lifting-apron and its rollers, of a revolving slotted beater formed of a slat or nearly fiat plate, a comb within the slot of said beater, and devices for substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the lifting-apron and its rollers, of a revolving slotted beater formed of a slat or nearly flat plate, a comb within the slot of said heater, and devices for moving the comb-teeth in and out of the beater, the toothed roller D, adapted to open and comb the locks of wool, and the revolving doffer It, substantially as specified.

3. The lifting-apron formed of belts, and wooden slats connected to the belts, and metal pins inserted into the slats, such slats having ribs on one edge and coves on the other edge, so as to set closely together while passing around the rollers of the apron, substan tially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the supply and lifting aprons and their rollers and the hopper, of the revolving slotted beater formed of a slat or nearly flat plate, a comb within the slot of said heater, springs for projecting the ICC moving the comb-teeth in and out of the beater,

comb, and cams for moving the comb into the beater, substantially'as set forth. D.

Signed by me this 10th day of October, A,

LEMUEL F. DIOKERSON. HENRY TINDELL.

-Witnesses:

Moses J. DE WITT, Oms. E. BALDWIN. 

